Finley Structures has secured a contract to build the steel framework for a multiple unit development on the outskirts of London.
The Aycliffe fabrication firm has been awarded the 616-tonne project at Navigation Park in Enfield, North-East London, from West Midlands-based building and civil engineering contractors A&H Construction, on behalf of multi-national Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) SEGRO.
The development is made up of three units totalling 173,000 sq ft gross external area, including industrial units and office accommodation.
Finley Structures has almost finished construction of the steel frame.
Operations manager Jim Graham says this debut contract with A&H Construction shows how the family-run business is growing into new areas.
“This is the first time we’ve worked with both A&H Construction, as the main contractor, and SEGRO as the end user,” said Mr Graham.
“It shows that we’re not just a regional business and we have the capability of working nationally and competing with steel fabricators of all sizes.
“SEGRO is a major European buisness which targets the Southern UK corridor as a major growth area, and this project at Navigation Park is a typical signature project.”
An artist’s impression of Navigation Park in Enfield, North-East London.
A&H Construction, based in Halesowen, just South of Birmingham, offers turnkey packages to the retail, commercial, industrial and leisure sectors.
Mr Graham added: “It’s another new client for us – we now have new targets and new areas to focus on.
“We are actively seeking out new opportunities, and being more selective about our client base and project selection.”
Finley Structures is also currently working on a 432-tonne building at Workington Academy, in Cumbria, for Sir Robert McAlpine.
Mr Graham said: “We have a long-established relationship with McAlpine, but we still secured that contract under stiff competition. It wasn’t handed to us on a plate.
“Working further afield in different areas of the country does bring new challenges, such as transportation, supervision and management.
“But we’re continually looking for efficiency gains in our processes to make us as competitive as we can be, and it’s work which is paying off in the contracts we’re winning on a regular basis.
“Our average weekly tonnage has continued growth and the business continues to grow from strength-to-strength as we explore these new markets and continue to secure major projects.”
Finley Structures last year announced it saw turnover climb £3.1m to £16.4m after a string of major contract wins, while the firm also took on eight new employees – boosting staff numbers to 68.
Finley is still currently working on a major project at the Victoria Gate shopping centre in Leeds – a deal worth close to £4m – while last year it also completed a 500-tonne project for Teesside University and a 620-tonne contract for the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing and Research Centre (AMRC), as well as several school new builds for Galliford Try.
The family firm has also won a number of other new contracts, including a 600-tonne contract for McLaughlin & Harvey at Heathrow and a 600-tonne contract for BAM Construction at Lincoln University and a 270-tonne project for Interserve at York University’s Biomed Building.